diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index e336ddc..21a21ed 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -232,14 +232,14 @@ needed.
   is deliberately NOT in the chat picker (image models are not chat models;
   chat-calling it was the source of the old 500s).
 - **Image generation — two paths**:
-  1. **MCP tool (default, no key ever, no gate)**: `inference-image` server
-     (tool `generate_image`) — members select it in the composer's **+**
-     palette and just ask. Images bill to the co-op SYSTEM key
-     (`SYSTEM_IMAGE_KEY`, LiteLLM alias `system-image-fallback`, $5/30d,
-     `regolo/qwen-image` only). No `customUserVars` gate: it made the credential
-     REQUIRED and blocked the whole server for any not-yet-seeded member
-     (first-login gap) before the fallback could run, and v0.8.8 has no
-     optional-flag escape hatch.
+  1. **MCP tool (default, no key ever)**: `inference-image` server (tool
+     `generate_image`) — members select it in the composer's **+** palette
+     and just ask. Per-member billing via `customUserVars.IC_API_KEY` (seeded
+     from the portal) + `env: IC_API_KEY: "{{IC_API_KEY}}"`; a system-key
+     fallback (`system-image-fallback`, $5/30d) covers the rare empty-value
+     case. The `customUserVars` gate blocks a not-yet-seeded member until the
+     next sync (≤10 min) — accepted as a short delay over billing everything
+     to the system account.
   2. **Agent tool**: LibreChat's built-in "OpenAI Image Tools" (env
      `IMAGE_GEN_OAI_BASEURL`/`IMAGE_GEN_OAI_MODEL` → gateway; no admin key,
      members paste their own). Note LibreChat v0.8.8 renders the generated
@@ -268,10 +268,9 @@ member's own portal-provisioned key automatically:
    - `keys` collection: `{userId, name: "Inference Co-op", value: encrypt(JSON.stringify({apiKey}))}`
      — consumed by the chat endpoint (`apiKey: "user_provided"` in the yaml).
    - `pluginauths` collection: `{userId, pluginKey: "mcp_inference-image",
-     authField: "IC_API_KEY", value: encrypt(key)}` — currently INERT: image
-     generation bills to the system key instead (see Feature notes), so this
-     row is only written for forward-compatibility if per-member image billing
-     is re-enabled later.
+     authField: "IC_API_KEY", value: encrypt(key)}` — consumed by the MCP
+     `customUserVars` config so image generation bills to the member's own
+     team.
    Encryption uses LibreChat's own scheme (`CREDS_KEY`/`CREDS_IV`, AES-256-CBC
    via `@librechat/data-schemas` `encrypt()`), read from the app process env
    (`/proc/1/environ`) because `cloudron exec` sessions don't inherit it.